


I Don't Know Where We'll Go (Light 'em Up)

by maxiswriting



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: (also not Dee), (failed obv), (he comes later in the AU technically), Abusive Stepfather, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Murder, Crying, Explosions, Fainting, Fake Character Death, M/M, Running Away, They fake their death basically, but it can be read as a stand-alone so, he's an assholes, technically this can be considered a prologue for a future AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 17:04:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19834690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxiswriting/pseuds/maxiswriting
Summary: In which brothers Remy, Roman and Virgil find themselves in front of the hardest choice of their life -an uncertain future away from the home they have grown to know, or certain death by the hands of the same man who’s trying to destroy their kingdom?





	I Don't Know Where We'll Go (Light 'em Up)

**Author's Note:**

> Oh would you look at that, it's my fic for the [@spookyson-zine](https://spookyson-zine.tumblr.com), finally coming also on AO3!! We've finally been given the go-ahead to post our full pieces, so it's time to introduce y'all to this AU -which I've had in the works for quite a while, we could almost consider this a prequel for what's to come. I have big plans you guys are absolutely not ready for ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
>   
> Thanks to my amazing beta [@tigertigertigger](https://tigertigertigger.tumblr.com) who makes sure the English language doesn't kick my ass to the moon and back, you're the absolute best.  
>   
> I hope you guys like it, comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated!

Virgil never knew his father.

He’s heard countless stories, of course. He knows of the great king Aaron, the man that, together with his queen, had brought their kingdom back to prosperity. The man that despised violence more than anything else in the world. The man that always resolved conflicts with words, with peace, with compromise. The man who wanted to protect, never to hurt –Virgil can see that man in Roman, his older brother, talented with the sword but repulsed by violence.

However, he also knows of Aaron, the caring father and loving husband, who was gentle and kind and loved to tell them stories until they fell asleep –the man Virgil can barely remember, nothing more than a distant, warm memory in his head. The man who had loved his family more than anything else, always, until his very last breath -a special type of devotion his eldest, Remy, seems to have inherited, even if he tries to conceal it behind a wall of sarcasm and sharp, witty one-liners.

And Virgil? Well, he’s not strong nor confident, or anything a leader should be, really. He’s quiet, cautious, and prefers to watch from the shadows as his brothers take the spotlight. He protects them from afar, unheard and unseen, his mother’s magic dancing in his soul and pulsing through his veins. 

Sometimes, Virgil wonders if there’s even just a little spec of his father in him.

But the others -oh, the others know.

They see it as he stands beside Remy during meetings, silent but unwavering in his support.

They see it as he frets over Roman after every training session, fussing over every scrape and cut and always, always making sure he’s okay.

They see it as he works on his magic under Thomas’ watchful gaze, purple light dancing on his fingers and fiery, unshakable determination burning in his eyes.

Virgil may not be a diplomat negotiating for peace, or a knight defending the kingdom, but he’s their shield, their protector, watching over them from the shadows, keeping them safe from harm’s way.

Everyone sees it but him.

Until one day, he does.

+++

The first thing that comes to Virgil’s mind when the explosions seem to finally die down, is that life should really give them a fucking break once in a while.

The king and queen -their mother, pressured by the nobles, had remarried three years before- had left the capital for a diplomatic meeting near the western border. They’d been gone for two days already, and their return wasn’t expected until at least the end of the week. During that time the princes weren’t technically allowed out of the southern wing, where their quarters were located, for their safety and well-being.

So, of course, they’d done anything but. After two days of utter boredom, Remy and Roman had snuck down to Thomas’ lab, while Virgil - using a simple invisibility spell- made a detour to the kitchen to grab something to snack on. They knew the royal wizard would probably be out the whole night to gather some ingredients from the nearby woods, so there was a very slim chance they could be discovered.

Right now, it looks like their boredom and complete disregard for the rules might actually be the only reason they’re still alive.

“Everyone okay?!” Virgil calls out between coughs, the air thick with dust and debris.

“We’re fine, Virge,” Roman groans from somewhere on Virgil’s right, his silhouette barely visible in the darkness -Virgil immediately summons a little ball of purple light, illuminating their surroundings.

“Looks like your quick thinking just saved our asses, lil bro,” Remy quips, eyeing the purple dome looming over them.

“It was mostly instincts, but yeah,” Virgil shrugs.

The sudden chain of explosions had caught them by surprise, Thomas’ laboratory shaking and crashing down on them, and before he knew it his magic had enveloped them, keeping the falling debris from crushing them to death.

“For how long can you keep it up?” Remy asks.

“Not much,” Virgil admits, grimacing. He can feel what probably is the entire southern wing pressing down on the dome, his magic straining to keep it all at bay. Doesn’t matter how powerful Virgil might be, he’s still young, inexperienced and nowhere near his full potential. He guesses they’ve got an hour, at most, before the strain becomes too much and their own home crashes down on them.

And so the three prices wait, hoping against hope that someone might find them before their time runs out.

They wait for what feels like hours, days, the only sound being their quiet breaths and the faint hum of Virgil’s magic.

They wait until bright, golden tendrils of magic start seeping through the debris, a familiar, muffled voice calling out their names.

+++

Virgil collapses as soon as he steps out of the rubble, his legs crumbling under his weight as a sudden wave of exhaustion slams onto him.

Distantly, he feels someone catching him before he hits the ground, frantic voices overlapping all around him. But they sound so far away, almost like he’s submerged by water, his body heavy and unresponsive as his consciousness slips down more and more.

When Virgil finally comes to, it’s to Thomas’ worried frown, his eyes flashing a warm golden as he feels the wizard’s power gently surround him.

“You with me?” Thomas asks, gaining a pained groan as an answer -Virgil feels like his head is splitting in two, exhaustion seeping into his bones until even moving his head feels like the hardest of tasks.

Thomas lets out a chuckle at that, relief flooding his eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes. You gave us quite the heart attack back there, I thought you had gotten injured.”

“The only injured thing here is my pride,” Virgil jokes, wincing as another jolt of pain makes his head throb, “probably used too much magic at once.”

“I would say,” Thomas hums in agreement, glancing back at the ruins behind them, “I’m not even mad that you guys snuck into my laboratory. I’ve never been more glad you guys deliberately broke the rules.”

Virgil simply nods because yeah, Thomas is right. Had they been up in their chambers as they should have, not ever his magic would have been enough to save them.

“Virgil!” Roman suddenly yells, causing Virgil to wince.

“Please don’t yell, idiot,” he hisses, closing his eyes to try and alleviate the pain.

Roman has the decency to look a little sheepish at that, quickly approaching the two with Remy in tow.

“Feeling better, Stormcloud?” he asks, voice significantly softer as he crouches at his brother’s side. Virgil finds himself smiling at the old nickname, fondly rolling his eyes at Roman’s fussing.

“I’m fine, Princey. I could do without my head feeling like it’s about to split in two, but oh well,” he shrugs before giving his two brothers a quick once over, sighing in relief when he doesn’t see any obvious injuries, “you two?”

“We’re okay,” Roman quickly assures him, “just some scrapes and bruises, nothing bad.”

Beside him, Remy nods, a soft smile on his face. “You saved us, kiddo.”

Virgil looks away, suddenly feeling bashful -his cheeks feel like they’re on fire, which means everyone absolutely knows he’s embarrassed because he’s pale as fuck. Goddamnit. 

“What even happened?” he asks, desperate to change the subject, “is the castle under attack or something?”

His brothers shrug, not answering Virgil’s question as they all glance at the fuming rubble behind them. Thomas is the one that looks the most troubled, a pensive frown on his face as he clearly debates something over in his head.

“It wasn’t a random explosion, was it?” Remy suddenly asks, eyes set on the royal wizard, “it was a deliberate attack, and we were the main targets.”

Thomas’ gaze sweeps over the three of them, before settling on the oldest prince and sighing in defeat.

“There’s magical residue all over the area,” he finally explains, “someone must have planted the spells some days ago and then set them off remotely. Almost all of the southern wing is gone, and it’s the only part of the castle that’s been directly hit.”

Silence falls as the three princes try to elaborate the information, its meaning slowly but surely sinking in.

“Well, fuck,” Virgil finally voices, as Roman lets out a rather colorful string of curses.

“But who-”

“That asshole of our stepfather,” Remy growls, hazel eyes aflame with fury, “it has to be him.”

King Liones -or king Jackass the Bastard, as Virgil had not-so-gently renamed him three weeks after meeting him- is the nobleman the council had pressured their mother to marry, probably because of his wealth and political stance that has always allowed him to easily stand on top of the social scale. He’s greedy, selfish, incredibly self-centered and it’s no secret he absolutely despises the three princes, whom he considers nothing more than a threat to his power -rightly so, with Remy being almost of age to reclaim the throne as his own.

“I hate to say this, but you’re probably right,” Thomas sighs, closing his eyes.

“This is messed up on so many levels,” Virgil mutters, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. He looks so young right now, covered in dirt and scrapes, leaning on a tree because he’s too weak to even keep himself upright.

It makes Roman’s heart clench, to see his little brother desperately trying to keep himself together even as he looks so tired, so lost and afraid. Without saying a word, he gently maneuvers Virgil onto his lap, holding him close as he burrows his face into Roman’s chest.

“We cannot let him know his plan failed,” Remy suddenly says, jumping to his feet, “he probably won’t stop until we’re out of his way, and next time we might not be so lucky.”

His brothers stare at him, eyes widening as they slowly realize what exactly he’s suggesting.

“But that would mean-”

“We’ll have to fake our deaths, yes.”

“But what about mom?!” Virgil exclaims, clearly flabbergasted, “we can’t leave her alone with that- that greedy son of a bitch!”

“If we stay, we’re dead,” Remy counters, “I don’t like it either, but if we make him think he succeeded we can take a step back and organize our options. And as soon as he lets his guard down -which he’ll do, I’m sure of it- we will strike, hopefully bringing him down for good. Mom will be fine, we’re the ones he wants dead.”

“Where would we even go?”

“You can hide in one of those little villages near the coast. Patrols don’t go check on those often, and when they do it’s almost never soldiers from the capital. The possibility of you guys being recognized would be next to none.”

“Wait, ‘two’?” Romans asks, looking at his older brother with a frown, “what about you?”

Remy sighs, something sad but stubborn seeping into his gaze. “I can’t come with you guys, I need to stay here.”

“What?!”

“Rem, no-”

Remy throws his hand up, gesturing for his brother to quiet down. “King Liones is not exactly the most popular person right now. There are a lot of people who are not content of how he’s been leading the kingdom, and for some time there have been… resistance groups lets say, forming around, with talk of dethroning him and appointing our mother as the legitimate regent.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on some of them for quite a while, just in case. My 21st birthday is next year, which means that, as the oldest prince, I’ll be able to legitimately reclaim the throne as mine. Liones’ main support is the nobility, but if I play my cards right and manage to organize those scattered groups into an actual underground organization, we might be able to take care of that asshole before the situation gets even worse.”

When Remy finally stops talking, chest heaving and eyes ablaze with burning determination, a deafening silence falls over the group. No one dares to make a single sound as they stare at each other, gazes filled with a million thoughts.

Then, suddenly, Virgil lets out a choked sound. He jumps to his feet, exhaustion momentarily forgotten, and throws himself into his brother’s arms, shoulders shaking as sobs rack his body.

Remy immediately holds him close, whispering little reassurances in his ear and he gently rocks them back and forth. Beside them, Roman watches the scene with teary eyes, trying to keep himself together. The Remy raises his head to look at him and suddenly the three princes are embracing, holding each other close for what will probably be the last time in a long while.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Remy murmurs into the hug, “I swear on my life, we’re going to be okay. Doesn’t matter what happens, what the future may have in store for us, we will see each other again.”

They stay like that for what feels like hours, their only companions being the rustling of the wind between the foliage of the trees and the beating of their hearts.

“You guys should get going,” Remy eventually says, slowly detaching himself from the hug, “you need to get out of the capital before sunrise, or someone might spot you.”

“We’ll need to stop at Joan and Talyn’s along the way to stock up on supplies,” Thomas muses, attracting some rather confused looks.

“What, you thought I was gonna let you guys go alone?” he asks, raising an eyebrow, “fat chance. I have an old friend who lives down on the coast, he's a good guy. I’m sure he’ll have no problem helping us.”

“Thank you,” Remy sighs, smiling gratefully at the man before turning towards his brothers.

“You two stick together, alright? I don’t care what happens, you two hold onto each other and never let go. Keep each other safe, keep each other alive, because from now on you two will probably be the only people you can trust.”

He looks at them, eyes full of emotions as he takes in his family for the last time.

“Promise me.”

Virgil feels scared, terrified beyond belief as his whole world seems to crumble right in front of him, their future full of danger and uncertainties and what-ifs he really doesn’t want to focus on.

But then he glances at Roman, who looks almost as scared as him and yet stands tall, holding Virgil’s hand in his own like a lifeline, and suddenly the screaming voices in his head quieten, a little spark of hope lighting in his heart.

“We promise.”

+++

“Vee!”

Virgil startles, tearing his gaze away from the crashing waves in front of him and turning around.

Patton waves at him, a dazzling grin on his face as he beckons him closer. Virgil finds himself smiling at the other’s enthusiasm, dusting the sand off his pants before calmly approaching his friend -and immediately getting dragged into a hug as soon as he’s at arms’ length.

“There you are, I’ve been looking for you everywhere! We’re all going to Logan’s house for dinner, did you forget?”

“Sorry Pat,” Virgil chuckles, returning the hug, “I guess I lost track of time.”

“What were you even thinking about?” Patton asks as they start heading back towards the village, “I had to call your name like, five times to get your attention.”

Virgil shrugs, looking up at the afternoon sky. “Just some old memories sneaking up on me, nothing to worry about.”

Patton doesn’t miss the wistful tone in his friend’s voice, how his gaze turns a little bit sadder, a little more melancholic. And yet he says nothing, limiting himself to nodding and giving his arm a quick squeeze.

_I’m here,_ his eyes say, _I’m here, always, however you need me to be._

And Virgil is so, so grateful, a lump forming in his throat as he asks himself for the thousandth time what did he ever do in his life to deserve a friend like Patton.

As they step into the town's square, Virgil finds himself wondering if he’ll ever be able to tell Patton the truth -about who he really is, about his past, about the horror’s he’s running from.

Then he looks up, Logan and Roman’s familiar bickering reaching his ears, Remy’s promise echoing in the back of his head, and for the first time since that fateful night, he feels something warm bloom in his chest.

It’s a familiar feeling -it feels like his mother’s hugs, like magic dancing on his fingertips, like his brothers’ laughter echoing in the long hallways of their old home.

Maybe, just maybe, everything is really going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr at [@max-is-tired](https://max-is-tired.tumblr.com) or join my [Discord Server](https://discord.gg/jswxCA7) to hear me cry at three in the morning bc I can't write for shit, I need friends anyways :')


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